Some conventional vehicles with automatic, step ratio transmissions are provided with an additional user input for gear selection and shifting, causing the transmission to act as a manumatic. For example, the user may command a gear shift that overrides the automatic drive (D) mode of a transmission having PRNDL as gear selection. The user may provide this input using paddle shifters on the steering wheel, using the automatic transmission console shifter placed into a detent for sequential shifting, or others as are known in the art. The user input typically allows for a user to command a sequential upshift or downshift from the existing gear in the transmission at that time.
When in an automatic mode, such as D, gear shifts for the transmission are controlled using a shift schedule. The transmission controller anticipates the shift and controls the engine speed such that the input speed to the transmission is synchronized with the output speed of the transmission, thereby allowing shifting clutches in the transmission to engage and complete the shift. Providing a high quality, consistent shift based on a user commanded shift may present a challenge as the shift is not anticipated by the automatic shift schedule or the controller. It may also be challenging to meet user expectations of a fast response time to complete shift after the user commands the shift. The time delay may occur due to unsynchronized speeds across the transmission, time to synchronize the speeds across the transmission, engine response time, and accuracy in engine speed control. It may also be challenging to provide a smooth shift to meet vehicle driveability expectations.